Royal Legislative Council
The Royal Legislative Council was a long-standing legislative advisory body to the ruling monarch of Lovia. It was created by King Arthur II of Lovia in 1937, and was abolished in 2003, to be replaced by the democratically elected Congress. In its long existence, it has had periods of increased democracy and power. History Early period (1937 to 1943) The Council was established in 1937 by the king following a dispute between the King and state Governors over the monarch's power of arbitration over interstate disputes, which the Governors felt was being abused in favor of his daughter Princess Lucy, who was also the Governor of Sylvania. The Council's original purpose was simply to replace the king's role in arbitrating, and consisted of nine representatives - eight appointed by the Governors of the states and the King or his representative. This model was retained until 1942, four years after Arthur's death, when Queen Lucy retired from politics, appointing Gilbert Brand to replace her as her representative in the Council. Brand was an ambitious reformer who intended to initiate a programme of centralization that would give the Council genuine legislative power. This required the approval of the states, however, who would have to give up a considerable amount of power. Brand obtained the unconditional support of the powerful governor Peter Feinman of Kings, but the separatist governor of Oceana Flint Hladovka refused to have anything to do with the proposal. Frustrated, Brand considered simply leaving Oceana out of the agreement, but this too was blocked by the governors of Clymene and Seven, who were only willing to go through with the plan if all states were in agreement. The state elections of 1943 broke the deadlock - Hladovka was defeated by Jonas Zimmermann of the RCPL, who while a staunch regionalist, was open to Brand's plans. Henri Burton was also replaced by enthusiastic centralist William Trumbel in Seven. Negotiations took three months, but by July all states had surrendered much of their power to the RLC, although Oceana retained autonomy in many areas. A zenith for Lovian democracy (1943 to 1955) From 1943 the Council had a new structure. The monarch and Governors each had a single representative, while the remaining nine were directly elected from electoral districts - a first for Lovia. Brand obtained a majority and was made the first Lovian prime minister by Queen Lucy. He endorsed a mixture of left- and right-wing policies, and attempted to achieve rapprochement between the states and between the various Lovian political factions. He banned interstate trade tariffs, established a unified foreign policy, created a system of federal taxation and introduced immigration quota. Generally Brand is seen as a cautious centrist figure, who was keen to achieve consensus between groups and was willing to make large concessions to appease vocal opposition groups. While this was criticised by some who described him as 'spineless,' his rule met with general approval and he was reëlected twice before retiring in 1951. See also * Congress * King Arthur II of Lovia * Rick Frances * Royal Congress Category:Politics stub Category:Royal Legislative Council